Truck stuck for five days as bridge collapses near Fareham

Kimberley Barber

A LORRY emptying a cess pit has blocked a country lane after a bridge underneath it collapsed.

It happened on Saturday afternoon in Iron Mill Lane, Funtley, near Fareham.

But the lorry has been stuck for five days as workers try to remove it.

Landowner Simon Wight said the removal has been delayed due to complications over how rescue vehicles would reach the truck, as they need to pass over private land to get to the other side of the unadopted road.

He said: ‘It’s a very difficult operation that has been handled superbly by the rescue company.’

As the lorry was hanging precariously over the River Meon, the Environment Agency was made aware.

A spokesman from the agency said: ‘We were notified of the incident on Saturday.

‘The company that owned the lorry has taken measures to extract all the water and all of the fuel out of the vehicle.

‘As far as we are concerned, there is no risk to the environment. We have assessed the situation and there has been no contamination.’

Residents of houses at the end of the lane are not able to get past in their cars and horses are trapped in the field at the end of the lane.

One concerned dog walker, who did not want to be named, said: ‘It has had a great impact as people can’t get past.

‘Anything of that tonnage should never have gone up that country lane in the first place. It is ridiculous.’

The road was shut yesterday from the entrance on Fontley Road to allow workers to put down extra reinforcement on another bridge to ensure their removal operation did not cause another collapse.

The lorry was being operated by company Lanes Group, which provides wastewater and drainage services.

A spokesman said: ‘A bridge collapsed while a jet vac tanker was crossing it, causing the vehicle to become stranded.

‘Two Lanes Group personnel in the vehicle were not hurt. No-one else was nearby at the time.

‘We are working closely with the landowner, businesses and residents to reduce, to an absolute minimum, the inconvenience this has caused while the HGV is recovered, which will then allow a temporary crossing to be put in place.’